The Big Bang Theory – The Complete Eighth Season on Blu-ray

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's

One of the funniest sitcoms to hit the airwaves this decade is The Big Bang Theory. Season eight maintains the humor in this situation comedy focusing on the relationships between a group of nerds and their girlfriends, who can be just as nerdy as the guys. Well, all except Penny who doesn’t have the book-smarts that the rest of the gang has, but she sure can outsmart them in with her street smarts.

When the series premiered in 2007 it started off with a bang, no pun intended, and has continued to maintain its fan base and level of genius (again, no pun intended) thanks to the witty writers who keep raising the bar when it comes to creating the storylines for Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Howard (Simon Helberg), Raj (Kunal Nayyar), Penny (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), and Amy (Mayim Bialik).

In season eight Penny’s new haircut shocked viewers but even more it disrupted Sheldon’s life, as he detests any kind of change. The season also advanced the relationship of Penny and Leonard who plan on getting married. But while they are moving forward, Howard has the biggest change in his life when his mother dies. Fans of the show know that Mrs. Debbie Wolowitz (Carol Ann Susi) has been a big part of Howard’s life and a mainstay character on the series although viewers have never seen her on camera. All they know about her is he voice – a loud and screeching yell.

Mrs. Wolowitz also took in one of the group’s friends, Stewart (Kevin Sussman) when he was homeless. This added stress to Howard when he saw his mother getting close to a new man.

Changes were abundant in the season with Raj’s parents announcing their divorce, Raj getting a girlfriend, and more, but the comedy never waned. There were also plenty of guest stars this year, including Billy Bob Thornton, Nathan Fillion, Will Wheaton, Laurie Metcalf (Sheldon’s mother), Christine Baranski (Sheldon’s mother), astronaut Michael Massimino, LaVar Burton, and Stephen Hawking.

Bonus features on the Blu-ray edition include a fun Q&A at ComiCon with the show’s writers who divulge some cute stories about the characters and their involvement in the show. There is another bonus feature focusing on the guest appearance of Billy Bob Thornton. The Academy Award-wining actor was asked to be on the show after his mother acknowledged she is a huge fan of the sitcom. The cast discuss having this actor on the set and how much fun it was. Hopefully viewers – and the cast – will be lucky enough to get him back in the next season.

Several of the cast and the creator Chuck Lorre have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and there is a brief look at the ceremonies in which they were awarded their coveted stars. A tribute to Carol Ann Susi shows how beloved she was to the cast and crew and how her voice was a strong character on the show.

Every series has loyal fans, but The Big Bang Theory has super fans and when a worldwide contest was launched to find the biggest fans, three winners from around the world were chosen as the Super Fans. They were brought to California and spent a day at the studio with the cast and crew. It’s fun to see their enthusiasm about their time on the set. These guys are hardcore fans.

Rounding out the bonus features is a gag reel. Even though the cast has been playing their characters for eight seasons, they still make mistakes. Oh yes, there are plenty of misstates on this gag reel.

The Big Bang Theory The Compete Eighth Season is a “must have” for fans of the show. The show is a multi-nominated and multi-award winning show that fans love and hold dear, even after eight seasons. The season is also available on DVD.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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